Bottle-closure



C. E. McMANUS.

BOTTLE CLOSURE.

APPLICAHON mm NOV. I7, 1915.

1,339,066. t ted May 4, 1920.

m ventr:

l; Atty.

aa mjziim such lea'kers is suiiiciently UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. MOMANUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTLE-CLOSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed November 17, 1915. Serial No. 61,909.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MoMANus, acitizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Manhattan, inthe city,

county, and State of New York, have in-' vented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bottle-Closures, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to bottle closures and more particularly to a typeof metal caps containing therein a compressible disk adapted to engageand seat upon the lip of a bottle toseal the bottle.

In closures of this character the compressible disk is ordinarily formedof sheet cork or of a composition composed of granular cork, theparticles of which are united by an insoluble, gas and acid proof,binder.

The type of closure referred to above, while extensively used bybottlers, has certainobjectionable characteristics, the cor apparentfrom inspection and can be determined only after the cap has been placedupon a bottle. If there be surface flaws upon the disk and if thecompressibility of the disk be insuflicient to permit the completeclosing of these flaws, the gases within the bottle will, after the capis placed upon a bottle, find a passage to atmosphere by reason of thedefective sealing of the neck of the bottle, and thus cause the contentsof the bottle to go flat. Bottles thus imperfectly sealed are known inthe bottling trade as le kers and the ercentage of igh to cause thisdefect to be a source of considerable loss. When bottling beer leakerswill ordinarily develop during the sterilization of the bottled beerbutit is not uncommon to have leakers (levelopeven when the seal seems tobe perfectly tight after a test by the bottlers.

ers by reason of defects in the disk, contact of the contents of thebottle with the cork or other material of a disk -will have the effectof imparting an undesirable flavor or taint to said contents, acondition which is particularly true of some composition disks.Furthermore, there is a likelihood of small particles of cork beingseparated from the disk and falling within the bottle,- which is morelikely to occur with composition disks than with solid cork disks,although the latter are not free from this objectionable condition.

By my invention I provide a bottle closure having all of the desirablecharacteristics,

so far as securing a tight joint is concerned, present in the ordinaryclosure having a cork or composition disk, and in addition theretohaving the characteristics of protecting the contents of the bottle fromcontamination by contact with the disk and preventing the escape ofparticles of cork from the disk, into the bottle. Furthermore, thesurface of the cushion of the disk exposed-within the neck of the bottleis so formed as to present a smooth continuous surface and thus minimizelikelihood of leakers while preserving all of the compressibility orelasticity inherent to the cork or composition disk.

The invention consists primarily in a bot-- tle closure embodyingtherein a metallic cap,

a compressible disk within said cap, and a flexible disk ofnon-absorbent material superimposed upon, and united by means of abinding agent with, said compressible disk,

said superimposed disk being of smaller diameter than said compressibledisk where by a sufiicient portion of the surface of said compressibledisk is exposed to permit the sealing of the bottle directly againstsaid compressible disk and the portion ofthe compressible disk withinthe neck of the bottle is protected by said flexible disk; and in suchother novel features of construction and combination of parts as arehereinafter set forth 'and described and more particularly pointed outin the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of the neck of a bottleshowing my improved closure thereon, said closure being shown insection; l

' ordinarily employed with bottle closures of a construction of closurewherein that por-,

the type to which this invention relates.

In the form of closure shown in the accompanying drawings, there ispresented an embodiment of m inventionwhich I preferably employ althoughit is not my intention to limit the invention to this particular form.

In this embodiment of the invention, I have shown at 0 an ordinarymetallic cap having a convoluted rim d adapted to pass over and beclamped under the lip of the bottle, Seated within and united to the capa is a disk 6 of compressible material. This disk extends to a pointadjacent the flange d. The manner of securing said disk in its positionrelatively to the cap,may be that ordinarily employed in closures ofthis type, the union of the disk tothe cap ordinarily including the useof a fusible binding medium interposed between the cap and the disk, andset in a manner to unite the parts by the application of'heat andpressure simultaneously or successively.

The disk e, as shown in. the accompanying drawings is what is known inthe art as a -composition disk, being composed of granular-cork formedinto a sheet of the desired thickness by means of a binder having thesame qualities of insolubility as the medium used in securing the diskin the cap.

A composition disk combined with a metallic cap, as heretoforedescribed, is old andwell-known in this art and I make no The mediumusedas a binder for the granular cork, and 1n attaching the disk to the cap,are also old claim of invention thereto.

and well-known to those skilled inthe art, and this old and well-knownmedium, 6r any other desired medium, fusible only at a temperature abovethat at which bottled beverages are sterilized, may be used.

My mvention relatesmore particularly to tion thereof exposed to theliquids within tamination of the liquid by contact with the (1181!, andthe dropping of small particles of the bottle isso protected as toprevent concork or other material of which thedisk is composed, into theliquid. This construction alsoassists in securing a gas tight joint bythe closure of any surface flaws or defects in the disk.

edge of the disk of the disk 6 with the lip of the bottle, thus Myinvention contemplates the utilization in conjunction with the metalliccap 0 and compressible disk 6, of a flexible disk I", superimposed uponthe disk 6 and completely covering that surface area of the disk e whichis exposed within the neck of a bottle when the closure isv appliedthereto.

This disk 7 ma be made of a hard parchment paper, or 0 any other paperso treated as to make it non-absorbent. This flexible disk 7 is securedin place upon the compressible disk e by means of a binding medium,preferably such as that which is used as a bond for the granules of thecomposition disk or for uniting said disk to the metallic cap. By usingthis bond, the disk 6 and the disk f may be assembled in relation to thecap and to each other by one and the same operation ifdesired. I

The purpose'of the disk f is not to assist in forming the seal betweenthe closures and the bottle lip butto prevent the presence of channelsthrough which gas may escape and to prevent contact of the liquid withthe compressible disk. To secure the desired action of the superimposedflexible disk 7, I make it of a smaller diameter than the disk 6 andposition the center of the disk 7 directly over the center of the disk6, thus exposing a suflicient portion of the surface of the disk 6- topermit the sealing 'of the neck of the-bottle directly against thematerial of said disk. vThe width of this exposed portion is such as tobring the f up to the line of contact insuring protection ofthe entiresurface of the disk 6 within the neck of the bottle. Exactitude ,in-thepositioning of the disk 7 with relation to the disk 0 1s of greatimportance as the projection of any portion of the disk within the areaof the contact surface of the disk 6 would result in leakers and thusmake't'he closure worthless. Accuracy in the positioning of the disk Z,in the commercial production of caps o the character herein described,may be secured r mechanically in a number of different ways and by meansof a variety of diflerent mechanismsand the manner of assembling thedevice, or the mechanism employed in so assembling it, is immaterial tothe invention of this application.

It will be apparent that superimposing the disk. f in the ,mannerdescribed upon the disk e, will have the efiect'of sealing all.

surface imperfections in the disk e about the center thereof and to apointco-incident with the point of engagement of said disk with the neckof the bottle. -When the closure is in soluble and acid proof, willprevent contact of the liquid in the bottle with the material of "thedisk e.'- Ifhe thinnm and flexibility 'sition upon a bottle, the disk fbeing non-a sorbent, impervious to gas, in-

of the disk f will permit it ;to readily .of at the edge withoutlikelihood of the formation of channels through which the gases withinthe bottle may escape.

My invention is particularly adapted to closures employing compressibledisks embodying therein granular cork, as in this form of closure, thereis greater likelihood of slight contamination of the liquid contents ofa bottle and there is also greater likelihood of the separation of smallgranules of cork from the main body and the presence ofsuch smallgranules in the liquid in the bottle. Furthermore, with a compositiondisk, the binding medium employed for attaching the disk f to the disk 6will readily combine with the binding material for the disk itself andthus form a close intimate bond between the two disks.

The use of the disk f will also tend to prolong the effective lifeof,the disk 6 by preventing the gases and liquid in a bottle contactingwith any filling or surfacing medium which may be used upon the disk 6.I have referred herein to the fact that the disk f does not extend intothe area of the contact surface of the disk 0. By this I do not meanthat the disk f must not contactwith the neck of the bottle, but that itmust be within that portion of the disk 6 which is subjected to thecompression necessary to secure a tight sealing of the bottle. Inapplying a closure of this type to a bottle, a channel is formed inthedisk 6 by the top of the bottle lip, the line of greatest compressionbeing centrally of said channel. The disk f is so positioned as to bespaced within said line of greatest compression and yet it may be, andpreferably is, in contact with the inner edge of the bottle lip; andthus forms a double seal, one'between the disk 6 and the top of the lipof the bottle, and the other between the disk f and the inner edge ofsaid lip.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details ofconstruction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent thatsuch may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.' p

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to haveprotected by pressible disk, whereby a sufficient portion of the surfaceof said compressible disk is exposed to perm'itthe sealing of the bottledirectly against said compressible disk and the portion of thecompressible disk within the neck of the bottle is protected by saidflexible disk.

2. bottle closure embodying therein a metallic cap, a compressible diskwithin said cap, and a thin non-absorbent, non-porous paper disksuperimposed upon, and united by means of a binding medium to, saidcompressible disk, said paper disk being of smaller diameter than saidcompressible disk, whereby a suflicient portion of the surface of saidcompressible disk is exposed to permit the sealing of the bottledirectly against said compressible disk, and the portion of thecompressible disk within the neck of the bottle is protected by saidflexible disk.

3. A bottle closure embodying therein a metallic cap, a compressibledisk within said ,cap, and a flexible disk of non-absorbent materialsuperimposed upon, and united by means of a fusible binding medium with,said compressible disk, said superimposed disk being of smaller diameterthan said compressible disk, whereby a sufficient portion of the surfaceof said compressible diskis exposed, to permit the sealing of the bottledirectly against said compressibledi'sk and the portion of thecompressible disk within the neck of the bottle is protected by saidsaid compressible disk, said superimposed disk beingof smaller diameterthan said compressible disk, whereby a sufficient poris exposed, topermit the sealing of the bottle directly against said compressible diskand the portion of the compressible disk within the neck of the bottleis protected by said flexible disk.

5. A bottle closure embodying therein a metallic cap, a compressibledisk composed of granular cork and a fusible binding medium within saidcap, and a flexible disk of non-absorbent material superimposed upon,and united by means of a fusible binding medium with, said compressibledisk, said superimposed disk being of smaller diameter than saidcompressible disk, whereby a sufficient portion of the surface of saidcompressible disk is exposed, topermit' the sealing of the bottledirectly against said compressible disk and .the portion of thecompressible disk' within the neck of the bottle is protected by saidflexible disk.

6. A bottle closure embodying'therei n a metallic cap a compressibledisk within said cap, an a flexible disk of non-absorb ent materialsuperimposed upornand united tion of the surface of said compressibledisk by'means of abinding medium with, said compressible disk, saidsuperimposed. disk being of smaller diameter than, and havin its centercoincident with the center said compressible disk, whereby a sufficientportion of the surface of said compressible disk is exposed, to permitthe sealing of the bottle directly against said compressible disk andthe portion ofthe compressible disk within the neck of the bottle isprotected by said flexible disk.

7. A-bottle closure embodying therein a metallic cap, a compressibledisk composed of granular cork, and a fusible binding medium within saidcap, and a thin non-absorbent, non-porous paper disk superimposed upon,and united by means of a fusible binding mediifm to, said compressibledisk, said paper disk being of smaller diameter than said compressibledisk, whereby a sufficient portion of the surface of said compressibledisk is exposed to permit the sealing of the bottle directly againstsaid compressible disk, and the portion of the compressible disk withinthe neck of the bottle is protected by said flexible disk.

8. A bottle closure embodying therein a metallic cap, a compressibledisk secured within said'cap by means of a fusible binding medium, and aflexible disk of non-absorbent material superimposed upon, and united bymeans of a fusible binding medium with,

* by said flexible disk.

diameter than said compressible disk, said superimposed disk being ofsmaller diameter than said compressible disk, whereby a suflicient pon.tion of the surface of said compressible disk is exposed, to permit thesealing of the bot-y tle directly against said compressible disk and theportlon of the compressible disk within the neck of the bottle isprotected 9. A bottle closure embodying. therein av metallic cap, acompressible disk composed of granular cork, and a fusible binding methecompressible disk within the neck of the bottle is protected saidflexible disk. In witness whereof I hereunto affix my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 15th da of November, 1915. 0

' CHARL S E. McMANUS. Witnesses:

CLARIoE FRANCK, 1 JUDITH PARDEE.

